As a professional weaver, I'm in a constant state of changing what's on the loom: planning a project, dyeing yarn for the project, warping the loom with that new yarn, weaving, finishing, and so on. Blogging is a way for me to share the process, and a way for me to keep track of what I did when.

Translate

Pages

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Next on the Dobby Loom

I'm at the halfway mark beaming a warp of 25/2 silk at 34 epi. Where does one get 25/2 silk, you ask? From Thailand via eBay, that's where. I suspect somebody ordered 20/2 or 30/2, and when their order came from the mill, the yarn was either too fine or too thick, and got sent back. After the cones were relabeled with a number closer to the actual yarn size, eBay to the rescue!

The silk was very sloppily spun - lots of slubs of loose fiber, and also lots
of knots, so the warping process is slower than I'd like. However, I can't
complain too loudly, because it was very inexpensive compared to
the usual retail price here in the States.

The weft will be the grey/beige cone of luscious fine-lace-weight pygora. It should halo nicely during weaving, and even more after finishing.

I haven't designed the draft yet, so I can't start threading right away. In the meantime, the yarn for the first 4-shaft warp is dry so I can start beaming that soon.

1 comment:

About Me

I am a professional weaver, specializing in complex weaves using fine threads. Most of my studio work consists of scarves, shawls, and wraps woven on a 48-inch, 24-shaft computer-assisted AVL dobby loom or wall art woven on a 48-inch, 1,440-heddle AVL jacquard loom. I exhibit and sell my work through high-end retail craft shows such as the Smithsonian Craft Show, the American Craft Council San Francisco show, and several smaller regional and local fine craft shows.